Are you looking for good and slow food, wonderful and millenary art, amazing landscapes rich in history and culture? Well, Italy may be the answer. Maybe you have also already planned a trip to Milan for Expo 2015. So, why not take the opportunity to visit the most beautiful art cities of the country? Italy has a vast number of cities where art is protagonist and where you can find out people, places and legends out of time. Here is a small group of cities recommended for a trip from the north to the south of Italy, called “the boot” because of its shape. In each of these places, you can also taste excellent local dishes. Let’s go!
VENICE
Marcel Proust said “When I went to Venice, I discovered that my dream had become – incredibly but quite simply – my address”. I thought the same when I arrived in this city. When you walk through the narrow streets of Venice, you feel in a magical place. Gondolas, the lagoon at sunset, carnival masks. Everything smells of dream. There are many places of interest, but you can’t avoid visiting Piazza San Marco, where you can find also the great Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, which was the Doge’s residence and, at the same time, seat of many political and social institutions, the Bridge of Sighs, which received its name because the prisoners who passed through it, from their prisons to the other side, would see the freedom of the lagoon for the last time before their death. Something typical to eat? You can taste “sarde in saor” (fried sardines with onions and flavored with raisins and pine nuts), “fegato alla veneziana” (veal liver cooked with white onions, olive oil and white wine) and “sepe col nero” (cuttlefish cooked in a pan with the addition of its own ink).
VERONA
When I was in Verona, I decided to discover the city with the Romeo & Juliet itinerary. You can find more information at this link: http://www.tourism.verona.it. Here there are many ideas of itinerary to discover the city, from the different points of view offered by the different ages: Romans, Scaligeri, Venetian domination and Austrian power. Definitely, I advise you not to miss the opportunity to enter one of the most famous Shakespeare’s tragedies. Here you can taste “gnocchi alla veronese” and “pastisada de caval” (a dish of long cooking, meat of horse).
FLORENCE
This city is an historical and cultural treasure, one of the greatest of the world. Its most popular sites are the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Uffizi museum. About churches, Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella are two indisputable artistic jewels. The advice is to get lost in the old streets until you reach the Arno river, a really romantic to enjoy the landscape of the city. For those who love meat, here you can taste the famous steak called “Fiorentina” (its cut is about 1-1,5 kg).
ROME
In addition to being the capital, Rome is a place where you can touch the history with hand. If you prefer to spend your journey around the churches and basilicas, you can go to the famous Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, which is one of the largest churches in the world. Here you can find the Pietà, Michelangelo’s masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture. There is also the wonderful Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Basilica of St. John. About monuments, you have a wide selection. The Colosseum, Victorian, the Mouth of Truth, the Campidoglio. And many more. You just need to walk the streets, to meet wonders of different ages. What about piazzas? Campo de’ fiori, Piazza Navona and Piazza di Spagna are just three of the many squares to visit. What to eat? Surely, the famous “bucatini all’amatriciana” (with bacon, cheese and tomato sauce) and, then, “saltimbocca alla romana” (slice of veal with ham and sage).
TAORMINA
I was struck by the beauty of this city. My best memory is the sea view from the high Greek-Roman Theatre, where people like Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides performed their tragedies and comedies. From Taormina you have an amazing view: the bay of Naxos and Mount Etna. The Public Gardens offers unforgettable views, with incredible plants and flowers. And if you want to taste a legendary granite, go to “Bam Bar” and enjoy your time in the streets of old town. You are in Sicily, so you have to taste its great sweets: the “cannolo” (made with fresh ricotta) and the “cassata” (a traditional Sicilian pie, made with sweetened ricotta, sponge cake, marzipan and candied fruit).
Table Babel 